Ethiopian to start new UK route to Manchester in December

posted on 14th May 2018 by Justin Burns

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Ethiopian Airlines has added a new UK route after revealing plans to fly four-times a week to Manchester Airport from Addis Ababa.

The African which flies to more destinations in Africa than any other carrier, will operate a Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the route with business and economy classes from 1 December this year and it will initially transit via Brussels.

Ethiopian Airlines chief executive, Tewolde Gebremariam, said the carrier is “elated” to start services to Manchester, its second destination after London Heathrow, which it has been flying to since 1973.

He said Ethiopian now flies to 58 African destinations and the “the socio-economic implication of the new flight is immense”.
“With vast investment and trade potentials between Africa and the UK, the upcoming flight holds the promise of boosting trade, investment and tourism with ample business opportunities for investors and business people from both regions,” he added.

Manchester Airport chief executive, Andrew Cowan, said: “The introduction of this route underlines the critical role Manchester Airport plays in connecting the people and businesses of the north to the world’s most important markets.

“While we have served a number of African holiday destinations for many years, this service will provide vital connectivity to one of the continent’s most important hub airports.

“That will unlock dozens more destinations across Africa through Ethiopian Airlines’ unrivalled network, meaning the North will be better connected to this part of the world than ever before.”

The new route is set to benefit 400,000 people in Manchester’s catchment area, who travel to Addis Ababa and other cities across Africa via other ways.